Where You Belong
by Kelly of the midnight dawn
Summary: Sequel to 'Valentine Disaster' forth in the series. The baby is almost here! Something's up with Olivia but she won't talk to Elliot about it. Can he help her? And what happens when... read to find out. EO
1. Chapter 1: Here With You

**Where You Belong**

**Chapter 1: Here With You**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own them.**

**A/N: Okay, I'm insane, I admit it. I should be working on "Elliot on Trial" but I went to go work on it and I ended up writing this instead. This is the fourth in the "Trust Me" series and the sequel to "Valentine Disaster". I promise I will get back to "Elliot on Trial" soon, please don't kill me. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this story.**

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to all of you wonderful reviewers who gave me name suggestions at the end of "Valentine Disaster" I'm trying to narrow the field down now and I should have the baby name picked out hopefully before Olivia goes into labor in this story LOL. You all had such great name ideas that it's hard to decide.**

**A/N: This story begins in March 2008. Olivia is seven months pregnant.**

"You were always mine Olivia," he stood over her, the light glinted off the blade of the knife he held in his hand. "No matter what he tried to tell you," he continued as she stared up at him in terror. "You've always been mine," he bent low until his face was inches from hers.

Olivia stared into the cold eyes of Jason Jameson. She was paralyzed with fear. She knew what he was about to do "Please don't?" she whispered.

JJ pulled her shirt up, exposing her abdomen. He ran his hand across the smooth skin lovingly and smiled when the baby inside kicked. He lifted the knife "We will all be together soon."

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Olivia woke with a start, breathing hard. She was disoriented for a few seconds before she realized where she was. She was in her bed. Her baby was safe. She looked at the alarm clock. It was 6:30. It was then that she noticed something else. Elliot wasn't in bed with her.

She got up almost immediately. The nightmares had been a common occurrence for the past few weeks now but whenever she had woken up from them before, Elliot had been right there to soothe her fears simply by his presence, whether he knew it or not. Her heart beat faster as she peered into the empty bathroom; he wasn't there.

She padded to the top of the stairs and stopped. She tilted her head and listened. She didn't hear anything. She walked cautiously down the stairs, being as quiet as possible. She didn't know why but she was on edge. She moved slowly into the kitchen and stopped.

He was there, staring out the window. On the table was a vase of pink roses, her secret favorite flower. She cleared her throat softly and he turned. A small smile spread across his face.

"Hey," he said softly "What are you doing up so early?"

Olivia didn't answer. She simply moved to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders "Morning," she whispered as she pressed her lips to his.

"Good morning," he smiled as he pulled her into his lap, somewhat awkwardly because of their child who had managed to make his mother's stomach quite big. He rubbed his hand over her abdomen "How's he doing this morning?" he asked her.

"He's fine," Olivia answered, not wanting to tell Elliot that she had had the nightmare again. The only nightmare that he was actually aware of was the one that she had had on Valentines Day and she didn't want to make him worry. Olivia turned her gaze to the flowers, suddenly remembering what day it was. She turned back to Elliot and kissed him once again "Happy anniversary," she whispered.

"Happy anniversary," he whispered back through a smile. He stood from his chair, holding her in a tight embrace and they waltzed around the room to a tune that both had known for years, a song that existed only in their hearts.

Olivia laid her head on his shoulder and sighed contentedly "I love you," she whispered.

"Love you more," Elliot grinned as he kissed her neck.

"Mmm," Olivia moaned with the sensation "Not possible," she murmured with a smirk of her own.

They stood like that for several minutes, a comfortable silence falling over them. Elliot was the first to break the silence. He pulled her back to the kitchen chair "I wanted to make you breakfast in bed this morning," he told her "But since you're up…"

"You can still make me breakfast in bed," Olivia told him as she pulled him in the direction of the stairs.

Elliot smiled as he pressed her up against the wall and kissed her. The kiss soon became deeper and more passionate. When they both broke away in need of air he breathed heavily against her neck "I'll go make the pancakes." He kissed her again and headed back into the kitchen.

Olivia smiled, feeling flush all over as she climbed the stairs back to bed. As soon as she entered the bedroom, the memory of the nightmare hit her hard. She walked towards the bed, slowly, almost as if she was in a trance.

"_You've always been mine."_

She clutched her stomach as her breathing became faster. She sank onto the bed as she tried to calm herself. Even with JJ in prison, she was still terrified of him. She knew she had to relax. The baby was uneasy as it moved around in her womb. She tried to think of something else, anything else. Today was hers and Elliot's one year anniversary. One year ago today, she had stood in front of friends and colleagues and had told them all that she had chosen to love this man for the rest of her life. She had made a pledge that for her there would be no other. She was his and he was hers.

She heard Elliot's footsteps on the stairs and she felt all the fear melt instantly. She felt safe when he was around. She couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when he had become her everything but he was.

By the time Elliot had entered the bedroom, Olivia had composed herself. He slid into bed beside her. He placed the tray with it's two plates of pancakes and two glasses of orange juice between them. "Happy anniversary," he told her as he gave her a gentle kiss.

She smiled warmly, feeling relaxed and safe "Happy anniversary," she picked up her fork and dug in. She grinned around a mouthful of the pancakes "Yum."

Elliot took a bite of his own breakfast "Maureen's coming over this afternoon," he told Olivia.

Olivia nodded. Maureen spent a lot of time with her father and Olivia these days. Olivia suspected that it had something to do with the loneliness that she felt when her school obligations forced her to spend time apart from the somehow irresistible Spencer Reid. Olivia never could figure out just what it was that her oldest step daughter saw in the young profiler from Virginia but then again who was Olivia to judge? Elliot could have had any woman in the city after Kathy left him and for some reason that Olivia couldn't even comprehend on some days, he had chosen her.

"You all right?" Elliot asked and it was then that Olivia realized just how long she had been lost in thought.

She shook her head quickly, bringing herself back to reality "Yeah," she said quietly "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You sure?" Elliot knew that he was pushing maybe just a little too much but she looked… unsettled about something.

"Yeah," she answered again "I was just thinking."

"About?" Elliot leaned closer.

"Nothing really," Olivia said dismissively, digging her fork down into the pancakes once more and shoving a large bite in her mouth. What better way to avoid answering a question?

Elliot stretched his legs out on the bed "It had to have been something," he stated simply.

Olivia chewed her mouthful of pancake very slowly. How does one tell their husband that they had started to wonder why he loved her in the first place? Somewhere in the back of Olivia's mind was the ever present fear that one day, Elliot would wake up and realize that he could do far better. The baby inside her meant more to her than just a child, it was a symbol of the connection she had with Elliot, something tangible that would bind them together no matter what. Somewhere deep inside, she thought that if the day did come that Elliot thought about leaving, he would see their son and remember that bond.

"There it is again," Elliot told her, placing a finger underneath her chin.

Olivia swallowed the last of the pancake and made a motion with her fork as if to get more "I don't know what you're talking about," she said, perhaps just a little too defensively.

Elliot's other hand rested on her hand as it attempted to lift another mouthful of pancake to her lips "Something's bothering you," he said in a knowing tone "Please talk to me?"

Olivia stared into those far too understanding blue eyes. What had she done right in her life to deserve this man? Why did he waste his time loving her when he deserved so much more than what she could ever hope to give him? She didn't know how to answer him so she simply brought her lips to his and kissed him. He tasted like syrup and she smiled, realizing that she more than likely tasted the same "I love you," she murmured against his mouth.

"I love you too," he said softly "That's why I want to know what's bothering you."

"It's nothing," she tried to dismiss it again "I was just thinking about the baby." That was a safe topic change. There were many things left to worry about concerning the baby. He was coming in two months and the nursery still wasn't painted. Olivia was also beyond terrified of what could possibly go wrong in child birth and every little thing that could go wrong after that.

"He's going to be fine," Elliot reassured her for the millionth time as he lifted her shirt to kiss the ever growing bulge that signified his child but as soon as his hand touched the fabric, Olivia scooted away.

"Please," she whispered in a small terrified voice. She shrank away from her husband, pulling her shirt down as far as she could to cover her stomach. In that moment, she was afraid for her child; she could think of nothing but JJ lifting her shirt up in the nightmare so that he could cut her son from her stomach and kill him in front of her.

"Liv," Elliot scooted closer, trying not to startle her "It's just me," he wasn't sure why she had reacted the way that she had. He thought maybe she was just a little self conscious about the extra wait. He didn't really mind; he had been through this three times before with Kathy and was used to the self consciousness but he had never seen Kathy or Olivia for that matter ever act like this.

Olivia inhaled sharply "Stay away from me," she nearly shouted and then, before she knew what she was doing she lashed out. Both glasses of orange juice on the tray fell over. Only when the wet juice seeped through her pajama pants did she come back to reality. She hid her face in her hands "Oh my God," she whispered. When she had knocked the glasses of juice over, she had been meaning to hit Elliot. She had been trying to hit her husband, except, she hadn't known it was him at the time. "Oh God," she whispered again. She felt Elliot's arms wrap around her "El, I… I'm so sorry."

Elliot held her close. He now knew that something was very wrong and that it went far beyond simple self consciousness "It's okay Liv," he whispered "I'm here."

Olivia buried her face in Elliot's chest "I know," she whispered "I know it's you."

Her words confused him but he didn't want to press the issue, not now. He simply sat with her and held her. He felt his heart breaking for her; she was hurting and he couldn't help her because she wouldn't talk to him about it. He ran his hand gently up and down her back, ignoring the orange juice that seeped into the sheets around them "I'm here," he simply whispered again.

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Captain Cragen rolled over in his bed and groaned. He hated being woken up on Saturday mornings like this. He hoped that it was just some trivial thing and that he could yell at the person who had woken him up and simply go back to sleep. He slapped aimlessly at the nightstand for a few moments before he got a hold of the phone. He lifted it to his ear and grumbled "Cragen," his name was barely understandable to his own ears, his voice was so bogged down with sleep.

"Captain Cragen?" the voice was one that Cragen didn't recognize "We thought that your squad would want to be alerted."

"Alerted to what?" Cragen asked, propping his head on his elbow, slowly becoming more and more awake with each passing second.

The person on the other end cleared their throat nervously "There's been a jail break."

**A/N: DUN, DUN, DUN. What is going on here you may be asking yourselves. MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Well you'll just have to wait and see now won't you? In the meantime, please review.**


	2. Chapter 2: In The Thick Of It

**Where You Belong**

**Chapter 2: In The Thick Of It**

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. I'm sorry this one was so long in coming but it's here now and I hope you enjoy it. I'm dedicating this chapter to onetreefan because she wants me to update "Untamed" and I've updated this instead LOL.**

**A/N: Also, this story will have a little bit of a crossover with Criminal Minds but not so much as there was in "Lady Killer" but more than there was in "Valentine Disaster". I hope you all enjoy and I can't wait to read more of your wonderful reviews.**

Olivia sat on the couch, deep in thought. She had changed into clean pants and was staring at the TV screen. She wasn't really watching it though. Her mind was to preoccupied with other things.

How could she have ever thought that Elliot would hurt her or their baby? Yet in a brief flash of terror, that was what she was thinking. She hated herself for what had happened upstairs. Even though Elliot didn't seem to hold it against her, she still felt like a complete idiot.

She heard footsteps entering the room but didn't look up until he was sitting beside her. At first, she didn't say anything, just searched his face for any signs of hate or blame. There was none but she could see concern and hurt. She scooted an inch or two away from him, not wanting to hurt him anymore.

He placed a hand gently on her forearm. Almost cautiously, she thought. He didn't want to scare her; he was afraid that he had done something wrong upstairs that had somehow caused her to react the way she did. "You okay?" he asked, knowing that she couldn't answer yes in good conscience this time.

"It's just been a long day," Olivia sighed heavily, knowing that it was a lame excuse.

"Liv, it's 9:00am," Elliot chuckled in spite of himself.

Olivia looked at the clock on the end table. She hadn't known it was still so early. It had felt like a long day to her. She took a deep breath and for a moment seriously considered telling him. But Instead she simply laid her head on his chest "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he pressed a kiss to her forehead. He brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes "Please talk to me?"

Olivia sighed. If there was anyone who could wear her down it was this man and his kindness "It was just a rough night."

"Nightmare?" Elliot asked gently.

Olivia nodded almost imperceptibly "I just got a little scared but I'm fine," she reassured him, taking his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze to emphasize her point.

Elliot didn't believe her and was about to press the issue further when his cell phone rang. He looked apologetically at his wife and reached for the phone. "Stabler," he said as he flipped it open. What ever it was, no matter what was going on, it could wait today. Today was his anniversary. This day was supposed to be about him and Olivia. What ever it was could wait. At least that's what he thought but he would soon discover how wrong he was.

"Elliot," Cragen spoke frantically and immediately Elliot knew that something wasn't right. Cragen never sounded like that, never.

Elliot sat bolt upright on the couch "What's up Cap?" he tried to keep his voice calm so as not to arouse Olivia's suspicions. He stood slowly to his feet and walked into the kitchen. He leaned against the counter and watched Olivia through the doorway. She seemed to still be focusing on the movie but her head was tilted slightly to the side and he knew she was trying to catch any part of his side of the conversation that she could.

"We have a situation," Cragen began to explain. He cleared his throat nervously, knowing that he had to be the one to break this news "Jason Jameson escaped from jail this morning."

Elliot felt cold suddenly. He unconsciously took a step nearer to the living room. He would never forget that name as long as he lived. He would never forget that face, that voice, all of the things that made up one of the most cruel and sadistic bastards he'd ever met. And Elliot knew that now that JJ was out, it was almost a certainty that he would be coming after Olivia. "How…?" he whispered quietly.

"Fought his way out," Cragen whispered back, almost terrified at the sheer force that the man had used. He had heard eye witness account from the guard who wasn't lying unconscious in a hospital. JJ had just fought his way out like some unstoppable juggernaut. Cragen was nervous. JJ's picture was making its rounds in the news media as he ssat there, talking to Elliot. All of JJ's surviving victims had been contacted and assigned protection. Cragen had wanted to call Elliot and Olivia first but he had to think of the other victims as well.

"You're kidding," Elliot murmured astonished.

"Two officers are on their way to your house right now," Cragen informed him.

Elliot nodded even though he knew Cragen couldn't see him. He knew Olivia wouldn't be happy about the detail but it was necessary. He wasn't too happy about the thought of someone else protecting his wife. He was a man and should have been able to do it himself but he wasn't about to take any chances with Olivia's safety.

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"I miss you," Maureen smiled into her cell phone as she pulled up in front of her father's house. She spent more than a few hours on the phone these days; it tore her up inside when she had to spend time away from Spencer and because of school, the times that she had been with him had been few and far between. In fact, she hadn't seen him since Valentines Day.

"I miss you more," Spencer Reid smiled back. It was killing him to be away from her but he hadn't been able to get away from the work of the BAU. There latest case had involved a series of women who had been raped and murdered in West Virginia. They had finally wrapped it up but every night, Spencer saw the victims in his nightmares. They had all looked a lot like Maureen. He knew he needed to see her soon or he would go insane.

"I don't see how that's possible," Maureen countered. She stepped out of the car and noticed a police cruiser coming down the street at high speed but without lights or sirens. "Oh my God," she whispered, her mind automatically jumping to the worst conclusion.

"Mau, honey," Spencer said gently "Is everything all right?"

"I'm not sure," Maureen responded. "I gotta go," she said quickly "I love you, I'll call you later," and the line went dead.

In Quantico Virginia, Doctor Spencer Reid sat at his desk, very worried about his girlfriend. He was just about to call her back when Hotch walked called them all to the conference room. He stood up and tried to shake the feelings from his mind. It was time to work.

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Elliot hung up his cell phone and walked quickly back into the living room. He sat down beside Olivia and wrapped his arms around her instantly. She had already been on edge and this news would only frighten her.

"What was that about?" Olivia asked suspiciously. She could tell that there was something that he wasn't telling her. She pulled back from him a little and kissed him softly. She knew it had to be bad from the way he simply sat there, not saying a word.

Elliot cleared his throat and took a deep breath. He exhaled heavily "This morning," he began as he pulled her into his arms once again, resting his chin on the top of her head and running his hand up and down her back comfortingly. "There was a jail break," he paused, wanting her to be able to absorb this part first in hopes that it might somehow cushion the blow of finding out who it was who had escaped.

"Why is SVU involved?" she asked. Her tone was gentle. She knew that whatever this was, it was bothering him. She didn't know yet that it would affect her the same way. She pulled away from him and looked him in the eye. "El," she began "Please tell me. What is it?" he looked like hell from just that simple phone call and he was hurting. She wanted nothing more than to make his pain go away.

Elliot pulled her close again, not wanting to let go. There was no way he was going to lose her. He wouldn't let JJ lay a hand on her. He had to tell her, he knew that but he wanted to give her just a few more moments of blissful ignorance. "I love you," he whispered.

"Elliot," Olivia tried to pull away but he held her close. While she never got tired of hearing him say that he loved her and she still had a hard time believing it sometimes, she knew that he said it this time only to delay telling her the true root of the problem. She gave up trying to pull out of his arms and simply rested there. Her arms snaked around him and she held him tight as well. "I love you too," she smiled and turned her face upward to look at him "Who escaped?" she asked softly.

Elliot cleared his throat again. Finally in a hoarse whisper he said "JJ."

"Oh God," Olivia whispered and Elliot held her close as they both broke down.

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"Can I help you?" Maureen asked as she stepped towards the two officers who stepped out of the police cruiser in front of the house. Maureen was worried. She hoped that nothing had happened to her father or Olivia. The two officers were silent at first. "Why are you here?" Maureen asked more forcefully when their silence became unbearable.

It was then that Maureen took in the faces of the two officers. One was a woman who looked absolutely terrified. She couldn't have been much older than Maureen herself. As Maureen looked into the young woman's face, she could swear she saw her mouthing the word 'run'.

The other was a man, in his early to mid fifties Maureen estimated. The older partner seemed almost possessive of the young woman. Maureen knew that even when her father had been partners with Olivia, he had been protective of her but never possessive. Something about the way the man was standing didn't seem right. One of his hands was hidden behind the young woman's back and Maureen finally noticed that the holter on his belt was empty.

The man finally introduced himself "I'm Officer Leonard McCrery and this is Courtney Adams," he indicated the woman beside him who hadn't stopped the frantic mouthing of the word 'run'. "We're the protective detail assigned to detectives Benson and Stabler."

"I don't remember my dad saying anything about that," Maureen said suspiciously.

"It's a recent development," McCrery responded curtly. "Am I to understand that you are one of Detective Stabler's daughters?"

Maureen nodded "Am I to understand that my father and step mother are expecting you?" she countered.

"Yes," McCrery answered. Adams hadn't said anything at all during this entire exchange. "Could you let us in?" McCrery asked, feigning politeness.

Maureen begrudgingly led the two officers to the door. She didn't like officer McCrery. She didn't know why but she just didn't trust the man. She turned the key in the lock when she and opened the door. "Guys," she called out into the house "I'm here."

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Spencer Reid stepped through the doors of the 1-6 for the first time since the day he had met Maureen. He had been looking for an excuse to come back to New York but a serial rapist/murderer escaping from jail was far from what he had in mind. The entire BAU team had come; the man who had escaped was a mystery and the department had enlisted their help to try and figure out where he might go.

Captain Cragen along with Munch and Fin were there to greet them. Reid wasn't surprised that Elliot and Olivia weren't present; Maureen had told him that today was their anniversary and that they were going to spend the day at home.

"Good to see you again," Cragen said to all the agents "I just wish that it could be under better circumstances."

Each member of the team nodded. Hotch was the one who spoke first "You said you were assigning protection to all of Jameson's surviving victims?"

"Yes," Cragen replied as he went into his office to retrieve the file for the agents.

Hotch took the file and began to flip through it. He saw Olivia Benson's name but didn't seem outwardly surprised by it. Inside, he thought of his wife Haley. He couldn't imagine how he would feel if someone was after her. That wasn't it; the problem was that he could imagine it. He truly sympathized with Elliot Stabler at that moment.

Reid read the name over Hotch's shoulder. He had no idea when he had met her that she had been a rape victim. She had obviously gone to great lengths to not let that part of her life be a dominating factor. Deep down, Reid respected that.

Hotch finally spoke up again "Captain, you haven't listed the names of the officers guarding the last victim on the list," he was referring to Olivia but for some reason didn't want to say her name out loud. Perhaps it was his way of trying to preserve some of the dignity of a woman for whom he had a professional respect.

"Oh," Cragen reached for the file. "I only just sent them out there. I must have forgotten to write the names down. Officers Adams and McCrery are assigned to her," he said as he handed the folder back to Hotch.

"Captain," Munch said as he got off the phone "We've got a problem."

"I know that John," Cragen responded dryly. In his mind he sighed. How could this get any worse? "But what aspect of the problem are you referring to?"

"A woman in Midtown just found Officer McCrery's body. Someone stole his uniform, badge and gun," Munch paused before adding "Oh yeah, and they stole his partner too."


	3. Chapter 3: The Monster Returns

**Where You Belong**

**Chapter 3: The Monster Returns**

**A/N: It's been a while since I updated this and I felt like I was abandoning it. I'm gonna finish it. I have to. This chapter is a little shorter than the first two but I wanted to get the story moving again. Here you go. I hope you're still interested in this.**

A fleet of squad cars, sirens blaring, descended upon the house. Spencer practically flew out of the car as soon as it stopped. Morgan put a hand on his arm "Calm down," the other man said evenly "You can't even be sure she's in there."

Spencer turned to his colleague "I spoke to her this morning," he explained "She was waiting outside the house in her car," he looked around quickly but didn't see the vehicle he was referring to "We were talking and all of a sudden, she just said 'Oh my God,' and hung up," he hung his head "I didn't think anything of it at the time. I wished I'd known…"

Morgan patted the younger man on the shoulder "You wouldn't have been able to do anything even if you had," he told him firmly.

Agents and officers approached the house. They were met with no resistance. Fin kicked down the door and the group proceeded inside. They began to fan out and search. Reid was the first to enter the living room. He stopped short "In here!" he yelled over his shoulder before rushing to untie his girlfriend and her father.

"Spence," Maureen whispered tearfully as soon as he had removed the gag.

"It's okay," he assured her as he began to untie Elliot "How did this happen?"

"Olivia…" Elliot began, his mouth dry and hoarse from all the screaming he had done earlier "He took Olivia."

Spencer reached down to untie Elliot's ankles when his hand slipped in something wet. He looked down and saw blood. He searched for the source and saw Officer Adams, lying dead beside them, she'd been shot in the head.

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"Don't," Olivia said pleadingly as she stood up. Elliot had risen from the couch to stand between her and JJ but the second JJ had pulled the gun and killed Officer Adams, Olivia knew what she had to do. She should have known that she would never be lucky enough to bring a healthy child into the world. JJ was gonna kill them all. If she surrendered herself, maybe Elliot and Maureen would survive.

Her hands were raised in front of her as she passed Elliot. She ignored his frantic whisper of "Olivia, no." and faced her deepest fear.

JJ smiled an oily grin "Good to see you Olivia. You're absolutely radiant. I always thought you'd be a good mother." His gun never wavered from its place, resting against Elliot's forehead.

"Let them go," she said quietly "You don't want to hurt them."

"But I need hostages Olivia," he told her "The police are after me."

"If you leave them alone," Olivia gulped "I'll go with you. Wherever you want."

Maureen and Elliot both protested but JJ didn't seem to hear them "Alright Olivia," he reached out and pulled her into an embrace "It's so good to be with you again. Soon, no one will be able to take you away from me again."

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"I'm fine!" Elliot shouted at the paramedics, shoving them away quickly. He spotted Cragen in the distance and quickly crossed the front yard to talk to him.

Cragen cut him off before he could open his mouth "Let them check you out," he said firmly.

"But Captain…" Elliot began.

"But nothing, that's an order.

"To hell with that!" Elliot shouted angrily "He's got Olivia! I'm not gonna sit around here and wait until you find her body in the woods somewhere!" he fought to keep from bursting into tears in front of everyone but it was a fight he couldn't win.

Cragen shook his head "We'll find her Elliot. Go take care of yourself."

"No," Elliot said firmly "This freak walked right into my house and strolled out with my wife," he looked down "I was supposed to protect her Don. When it came down to it, I couldn't stop him. I wasn't able to save her. She's out there with the man that raped her. She probably scared out of her mind and I can't help her. Do you have any idea what that's like?!" he looked at Cragen for a long moment "So, no I'm not just gonna surrender myself to the paramedics until we find her."

Cragen conceded "You stay in the back seat," he said firmly "And if I suspect that something's wrong with you, I'll ship you off to the nearest hospital," he took Elliot by the shoulder and led him to the squad car where Munch and Fin were waiting for them. "We're gonna find her," he reassured.

Munch was on the radio, conversing with someone in Jersey who had spotted Maureen's car. He put the radio down and turned to the others. "The officers said they spotted the car headed South. They're trailing it now." Elliot and Cragen got into the sedan with the others and they departed.

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"What if something happens to her?" Maureen sobbed. She sat on the bed of a hotel room, wrapped tightly in Spencer's embrace "She could go into labor. What if he…?"

"Shhhhh," Spencer soothed, kissing her softly "You could think of everything that could go wrong but you're just gonna drive yourself insane. You have to think positively. They're going to find her, and both she and the baby are going to be fine."

Maureen looked up at him "I let him in the house," she whispered "This is all my fault."

"No it's not," Spencer told her firmly, pulling her as close as physically possible. He shuttered to think of what could have happened to her if she hadn't gone along with what Jameson had asked her to do.

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Olivia stared straight forward at the road ahead. She wondered if someone had found Elliot and Maureen by now. She wondered what would happen to her and her baby now. Suddenly, the car lurched to a halt.

JJ turned and smiled at her, placing a hand underneath her chin "Cheer up my love," he said in a soft whisper as he leaned in and kissed her "Soon we will be together always."

Olivia turned to him and stared with pure hatred into his eyes "I don't want to be with you, not now, not ten years ago, not ever." She wrenched away from him and made her move. With the car at a stand still for the moment, she threw open the passenger side door and started running. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach and knew that the activity wasn't good for the baby, but now, it was the only thing she could do for either of them.

JJ got out and was about to follow her when he heard sirens. The police cruisers surrounded him but Olivia had already gotten too far away to know that salvation had arrived.

Even though Cragen had told Elliot that he was supposed to stay in the car, he was the first one out. He grabbed JJ and slammed him against the car hard; no one had seen Olivia make her escape. "Where the hell is she?!" Elliot screamed, punching JJ in the face with one hand as with the other, he slowly crushed the other man's windpipe.

JJ was unable to talk and didn't say anything until Cragen and the others had pulled Elliot off of him. JJ slumped against the side of the car "Wouldn't you like to know?" he smirked hoarsely. He let out a long low chuckle.

Munch cuffed JJ "You're in a lot of trouble if you hurt her," he promised.

"Over here," one of the Jersey state troopers called to the detectives. He was standing by the barrier and pointing to something.

Elliot and Cragen came over to see what he was pointing to while Munch and Fin wrestled JJ into the back of the sedan. There, lying on the ground at the bottom of the embankment was Olivia.

"Olivia!" Elliot screamed as he jumped over the barrier and ran down the hill towards her. Gravity took over and he practically fell the rest of the way to where she lay. He knelt down beside her, afraid of what JJ could have done to her. He felt for a pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when he found it.

He rolled her onto her back and cradled her in arms. He noticed, gratefully, that she was breathing "Liv?" he whispered almost fearfully "Honey, can you hear me?"

She moaned and her eyes slid open a fraction "El…?"

"Yeah," he smiled "Yeah, it's me honey. You're safe now."

"El… baby…" she whispered.

"You and the baby are both going to be fine," he smiled.

"No," she said quickly, fighting to speak through the haze of the pain that had overtaken her "Baby… coming… now…"

It was then that Elliot noticed the wetness seeping through his jeans as he held her in his lap. Her water had broken.


	4. Chapter 4: Joy Short Lived

Where You Belong

**Where You Belong**

**Chapter 4: Joy Short Lived**

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has stuck by me through this series. I hope I haven't let you down. I hope you enjoy this chapter and as always, reviews are much appreciated and love.**

"El…" Olivia whispered in the ambulance. She was in so much pain. She couldn't be sure of what was going on around her. She was desperate to know that Elliot was there. She needed him. She knew she wasn't strong enough to get through this without him. She was scared, her baby's life could be in danger and it was her fault. She needed the support of the man she loved.

"I'm here," he reassured as he held her hand and stroked her hair "I'm here, you're gonna be okay." He looked up at the paramedic desperately for confirmation of his statement.

"We'll be at the hospital soon," was all the assurance the paramedic could give him. He turned to a paramedic holding a radio "Tell them to be prepared for an emergency C-section.

Olivia rose off of the stretcher "Ooh," she inhaled sharply as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Don't push!" the young paramedic instructed her, leaping into action.

The contraction passed and Olivia collapsed upon the stretcher, still in tears "Oh God," she began to whisper over and over again.

Elliot leaned over the stretcher "It's gonna be okay Liv. We're almost there."

Olivia forced her eyes open. She stared up into Elliot's face. "God El… I'm so sorry…"

"For what?" he asked as the ambulance siren screamed in the background.

"Our baby," she whispered as tears continued to flow "It's my fault… I'm sorry," at that moment another contraction hit her violently.

"You have to try not to push Olivia," the paramedic said soothingly.

"Please," she whispered to Elliot as she gritted her teeth and tried with all her might not to push "Please don't hate me?"

Her request stunned him for a moment. It only took that one moment for them to pull into the ambulance bay of the hospital. The doors were open and they were wheeling Olivia away before he noticed. He ran after the stretcher finally catching up to it. He grabbed for Olivia's hand as they ran towards the operating room.

"The baby's heart rate is dropping!" a nurse called out.

"She's hemorrhaging!" the surgeon said and Elliot swore he heard panic in the woman's voice.

"What's going on?" Elliot asked as medical personnel. He noticed that Olivia was unconscious. She looked so pale. He attempted to follow the stretcher into the operating room but the surgeon blocked him.

"I'm sorry sir, you'll have to wait out here," the surgeon informed him.

"That's my wife and my baby," he told her matter-of-factly.

"I'm sorry sir but we can't have you getting in the way in there. The best thing you can do for your wife is to wait out here," with that she pushed him towards the waiting room chairs and disappeared into the OR.

Elliot sank into a chair. He sat there alone for what seemed like hours with no word. Olivia's last words to him reverberated in his brain. How could he ever hate her? How could she ever think that he could? What would he do if he lost her?

He hadn't answered her. He hadn't reassured her when she had pleaded with him. He'd been so shocked by what she had said that he'd been rendered speechless. She'd fallen into unconsciousness soon after and he hadn't been able to let her know that he could never hate her.

She had been afraid for the baby, afraid that she was responsible for their child's death that she had taken the blame before they even knew for sure. He'd always been afraid that she had a hard time believing that their life together was real sometimes. After everything that had happened to them, what JJ had done to her, the nightmares, he felt like a failure for not being able to keep her safe and to make her believe that he loved her.

Today was their anniversary after all. It was a day that marked the two years that they'd been married. He didn't want this day to go down as a grim reminder of her death.

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"You're going to be very unhappy for a long time Jameson," Fin hissed as he paced the room. He didn't even know why they were wasting their time interrogating this son-of-a-bitch. They knew what he was. Why weren't they shipping off to central booking?

"You don't have anything on me," JJ said smugly. His arrogance made Fin want to punch him. His declaration was so outrageously absurd. His previous conviction and the tearful testimony of his living victims had been all over the news two years ago. Even now, news of his escape and capture was all over the airways. He'd be convicted of the kidnapping charge and the murders he'd committed this time as well as still going back to prison for his previous crimes.

The door to the interrogation opened and Cragen poked his head in. He gestured for Fin to come out into the hallway. Fin shot one last angry glare in JJ's direction before following the captain.

"Can we get this guy out of here?" Fin asked exhaustedly. He would rather be with Elliot at the hospital, providing support to his friends when they needed it instead of listening to the pompous ass who sat at the table in the other room.

"Detective Tutuola," Cragen said, turning to a sharply dressed man standing to his left "This is Mr. Carmine."

"I'm afraid that Mr. Jameson will be coming with me," Mr. Carmine said with a smug smile.

"He's under arrest," Fin told the annoying attorney "He's an escaped convicted. The only place he's going is straight to jail."

"Not today he's not," Mr. Carmine handed a stack of papers to Fin "My client and I were in the middle of petitioning the court to grant him an appeal. Mr. Jameson isn't a criminal, he's just a severely disturbed man."

"Ain't that the truth," Fin muttered under his breath.

"It seems that Mr. Carmine," Cragen began, unhappily "Has convinced a judge to release Mr. Jameson into his custody until such time as a new trial date is set."

Mr. Carmine glided past Fin into the interrogation room where he shared some words with his client before the two of them strolled out and past Fin and the captain. Fin just watched in shock "Cap… What judge would be stupid enough to release that maniac?"

"Judge Wesley Cooper," Cragen groaned "Don't worry, Gideon and Morgan are already tailing him."

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Maureen and Spencer had joined him in the waiting room and they waited together. Elliot was still plagued with the fear that he would lose Olivia and the knowledge that he had failed to protect her from her worst fear.

Spencer sat in silence with Maureen resting her head upon his shoulder. He had received a call from Gideon only fifteen minutes before he and Maureen had arrived at the hospital. His unofficial assignment was to provide backup incase JJ came after the family again.

The doors to the OR finally opened and the surgeon appeared. She walked over to where Elliot sat. She stopped in front of him. He didn't look up at first. When he did, he noticed that she was smiling. "How is she?" he asked hopefully.

"Your wife and son are doing just fine," she told him smiling widely. She was glad that things had turned out so well. She'd seen a lot of cases like this where both mother and child had died.

Elliot smiled proudly as Maureen hugged him and Spencer awkwardly clapped his girlfriend's father on the shoulder.

"Can I see them?" Elliot asked.

"Sure," the surgeon lead him to the recovery room.

Elliot's heart swelled with happiness. He hadn't lost her. He followed the surgeon to where Olivia lay. Her eyes were closed but her color looked much better than it had the last time he'd seen her. In her arms she held a tiny bundle of blue that who waved his little arms in the air and cooed at his mother "Hey there," Elliot smiled, bending down to give Olivia a kiss.

She opened her eyes and smiled at him "Isn't he amazing?" she asked, looking down at the little miracle in her arms.

Elliot smiled down at the baby "Happy birthday," he whispered, bending his head and kissing the little boy on the forehead.

A nurse cleared her throat "We're just about ready to move her to a room," she told Elliot.

Elliot walked alongside Olivia's bed as they moved her through the halls. She refused to let her little miracle be taken away from her just yet and he gazed at the little life from time to time. He was a beautiful baby and the way that Olivia smiled at him, Elliot had rarely seen her smile like that before. In fact, it had been far too long since he'd seen that smile.

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"He's so precious," Maureen cooed as she took a turn holding the new baby "Have you picked out a name yet?" she asked as she handed the little boy back to his mother.

"We haven't decided yet," Elliot smiled as he leaned in and stole a kiss from Olivia. He grinned at her and she smiled back as they looked down at the absolutely perfect little miracle in Olivia's arms.

Spencer Reid watched the whole beautiful scene unfold before him and hated himself. He hadn't even told Elliot yet about what had happened with JJ. The news would certainly ruin their happiness. Olivia and the baby had just survived a harrowing ordeal and he was afraid of the stress the news would bring upon them.

The worst part was that Maureen already knew. She too was tormented the exact same way he was, neither of them wanting to ruin this few moments of peace that Elliot and Olivia had had. He didn't want Maureen to feel the pain of keeping such a heavy burden to herself. If he could, he would go back in time and take that call from Gideon in private.

Just looking at her out of the corner of his eye, he could tell that she was suffering. He didn't want her to suffer, he loved her. But breaking the news now would simply cause more pain. He would wait. They were safe in the hospital. He would keep his eye on them as best he could. Jameson was being watched. There was no way he could get to them here.

Just at that moment Spencer's phone rang. He excused himself and walked into the hallway. He leaned against the wall as he answered. The call was from Gideon. The news was disturbing.

"We've lost track of him."

Spencer knew there was no way he could keep this to himself any longer. Elliot and Olivia needed to know that they and their baby might be in a great deal of danger. He sighed heavily and walked back into the hospital room.

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"No, no, no," Olivia whispered as hot tears cascaded down her cheeks. She held her newborn in her arms and Elliot held her in his. She'd flat out refused to let the nurses take him from her after Spencer had broken the news that JJ was still on the streets.

The agents and the SVU detectives had all seemed to have taken up residence in the lounge just down the hall from Olivia's room. Maureen and Elliot's other kids had joined them. Cragen had circled the wagons quite effectively but still with everyone within shouting distance and being held securely in Elliot's warm and loving embrace, Olivia still didn't feel safe.

She looked down at her son. He looked back up at her with big blue eyes. He was so innocent, so pure. He deserved better than her for his mother. She was afraid for him. He was defenseless. She attempted to wipe the tears away but failed "This can't be happening," she whispered "It can't be happening," she was almost pleading with the powers of the universe to make JJ simply disappear. She wanted to be happy. She wanted a happy life with Elliot and their family.

"He'll never get near you or the baby," Elliot promised as he held her tight in his arms. He wanted to track that son-of-a-bitch down and strangle him but as powerful as that desire was, his desire to stay by Olivia's side was even greater. She needed him. She was scared and he wasn't going to let her down again.


	5. Chapter 5: Living in Fear

Where You Belong

**Where You Belong**

**Chapter 5: Living in Fear**

"Matthew," Olivia whispered, placing a gentle kiss to her little boy's forehead. Elliot had suggested that they finally make a decision about what to name their son, seeing as how he had gone without one for nearly twelve hours now. In addition to giving the nurses a proper name to put on the tiny hospital bracelets on Matthew's wrists and ankles the name game had served as a distraction from the more serious matter at hand.

"It's agreed," Elliot smiled as he lifted the baby carefully out of Olivia's arms "Matthew Connor Benson-Stabler it is," he looked the infant in the eye "What do you say son? Do you approve?"

Matthew waved his tiny arms in the air and made a cooing sound. Satisfied with his son's response, Elliot handed their son back to Olivia who took him into her arms and held him close to her protectively. Nurses had tried several times to take Matthew to the nursery but Olivia hadn't wanted to let him out of her sight. She was exhausted but she was too afraid to hand her son over to someone she didn't know and trust.

"Liv," Elliot said softly with a small smile as he watched Matthew nudge his mother's breast with his head "I think somebody's hungry," he took the baby so Olivia could arrange her hospital gown. He handed the baby back to his wife and watched her feed the tiny child.

"Stop staring at my breasts," Olivia joked while Matthew sucked happily on her nipple.

Elliot smiled at her and reached over, placing a hand on his youngest child's back "Awe come on," he teased "What's the worst that could happen?" he asked in jest as he brought his gaze to her face.

Olivia's gaze dropped to where her son had placed a tiny hand on her breast and seemed to be content. He was so small, so precious. She loved him with all her heart; if JJ got his hands on him… she didn't want to think about what that monster would do to him, or the other children. It was only that morning that JJ had held a gun to Elliot's head and threatened to take two of the people that Olivia loved most away from her. A tear came to her eye as she thought of how she'd put her son in danger by going with him. But she didn't have any choice. She wasn't worthy of this little boy. She didn't deserve such a precious gift.

"Liv…?" Elliot asked in a voice full of concern. He had only been teasing, he had no idea why his simple question had made her react the way she had "Liv, honey what's wrong?"

"I'm fine," she lied as she wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her hospital gown "He's just so beautiful," she added and that was the truth. He was beautiful. He was perfect. He was so wonderful. And she was afraid. Elliot could sense that there was something else but before he had a chance to call her on it, a nurse entered the room followed closely by Maureen and Spencer.

"It's not a good time," Maureen was saying to the nurse as she tried to block her path to the bed where Elliot and Olivia sat with Matthew.

"Couldn't you just bring a bassinette in here?" Spencer tried to talk some reason into the woman.

The nurse turned on the two "The mother needs her rest. I don't really care what you think is best. I have to take the baby to the nursery now."

Olivia's eyes went wide. She tightened her grip on the baby and hid her face in Elliot's shoulder "No, no, no. Oh God, Elliot, please don't let them take him?"

"Liv," he whispered as he stroked her hair and the nurse waited with a very irritated expression on her face "You need your rest sweetie. They're just gonna take him for a little while. It'll be okay."

"No," she whispered as she began to sniffle and cry softly "Please don't let them take him away?"

"We'll take good care of him," the nurse promised as she pried Matthew from his mother's arms, which brought cries of protest from both mother and son.

"Take your hands off my son!" Olivia sobbed angrily as she practically fell out of bed in an effort to reclaim her baby.

Elliot stabilized her before standing and turning to the nurse "We've had a rough day," he explained with a shrug "Maybe you could let him stay with her tonight?"

"I'm sorry sir," the nurse said firmly "I can't allow that. Infants are required to stay in the nursery because of their undeveloped immune systems. I can't make any exceptions. No matter how many 'Rough days' either one of the parents has had. Besides, your wife needs her rest."

"I don't think she's gonna get any rest if you take the baby," Spencer spoke up from behind them.

Elliot and the nurse turned to see Olivia, trembling like a leaf while Maureen and Spencer attempted to comfort her. Elliot lifted the baby out of the nurse's arms "Maybe you could look the other way just this once," he said softly as he looked at his emotionally distraught wife.

The nurse stared at the hysterical mother in front of her and slowly nodded "Just this once," she nodded at Elliot "But you'd better make sure she gets some rest."

"Definitely," Elliot agreed as he held Matthew close to him.

"I'll bring you a bassinette and some diapers," the nurse told him as she left the room.

Elliot went back to the bed where Olivia was slowly calming down. "Get your hands off my wife Reid," he said half jokingly.

Spencer quickly removed his hand from Olivia's shoulder and took a step back from the bed while Maureen stood up and faced her father with an indignant glare before pulling up a chair beside where Spencer had settled himself. She continued to look at Elliot as if he had committed a cardinal sin as he walked towards where Olivia sat.

"You're too hard on him," Olivia sniffled as Elliot settled baby Matthew into her arms once again. She leaned back against the raised head of the bed and looked across the room at Spencer "Don't let him get to you," she said softly "You're an FBI profiler, you shouldn't have to act like a scared kid every time he makes eye contact with you." Olivia closed her eyes and sighed, feeling a little better now that her baby was back with her and Elliot, where he belonged.

"Spencer had some news," Maureen spoke up, excitedly.

Spencer squeezed her hand before he spoke up himself "My team has been called back to Quantico," he began, drawing wide eyed, questioning looks from Elliot and Olivia "I've been temporarily reassigned to the New York office and put in charge of the search for Jameson."

"When are the others leaving?" Olivia asked, not wanting it to sound like she'd rather have them searching for JJ but from the look on Spencer's face, that was exactly how it had come out. Olivia was going to say something else to try covering up her error but Spencer proceeded to answer her question.

"Tomorrow afternoon," he replied simply "I'm headed to the New York office to meet the agents I'll be working with."

Olivia seemed satisfied with that answer as her eyes drifted closed again. She was so sleepy. She felt Elliot's arms around her as she heard the sound of the nurse wheeling the bassinette into the room. Maureen stood up and walked to the bed, where she bent down and touched Olivia on the arm.

"I'm just gonna put him in the bassinette, so you can get some rest," she explained and lifted the baby from Olivia's arms with no resistance.

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"He's so cute," Maureen cooed as she walked the floor of the hospital room with Matthew lying against her shoulder. Elliot and Olivia had long since fallen asleep but Maureen and Spencer had agreed to stay and watch over the baby. Olivia wasn't the only one in dire need of rest, as they learned when Matthew awoke with a dirty diaper and neither parent stirred.

"He is isn't he?" Spencer smiled at her as he reached his arms out and accepted the baby from his girlfriend. He held the little guy close "Hey Mau, do you ever think about…?" he started to ask and then trailed off.

"Think about what?" she asked in a whisper so as not to wake the sleeping detectives by accident as she spread clean sheets over the mattress in the bassinette.

"I was just thinking…" Spencer trailed off again as he passed Matthew into the compident arms of his eldest dibbling.

Maureen turned, laying the baby in the freshly made bassinette and placing a blanket over him. She looked back at Spencer in the dim light "About having kids?" she asked.

Spencer shrugged "Yeah," he admitted sheepishly "Do you ever think about it?"

"Sure," she replied with a smile, taking his hand "I kind of like the idea. How about you?"

"Lot's of times," he told her honestly as he pulled her into a hug and kissed her deeply.

When they separated, Maureen looked deep into his eyes "I want kids but I don't know if I'm ready."

"Yeah," Spencer agreed with a small smile "I wasn't talking about having kids now. I was just asking if you ever thought about it." The two of them laughed and settled down to watch Matthew as he slept

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"I see you," Olivia laughed at her two week old son as she lay on the couch, gazing lovingly at him as he lay on her chest. Even though Elliot was away at work (he'd been told to leave the search for JJ alone and wasn't happy about it but went back to the many SVU cases that continued to flood the squad) Spencer had given two agents the task of watching her house so she felt relatively safe being at home with Matthew.

Olivia suddenly heard the front door open and she sat up, just catching Matthew as he began to slide down her stomach. She sat up, all senses on high alert. The agents weren't infallible. They could have let someone by who they shouldn't have. Olivia remained on edge until she heard a familiar voice calling out to her.

"Hello," Maureen called as she made her way towards the living room "Anyone home?"

"In here," Olivia called back as she adjusted Matthew in her arms "Look who it is," she said to her son as Maureen entered the room "That's one of your sisters isn't it," she smiled broadly.

Maureen took a seat next to Olivia on the couch "How's the little man doing?" she asked with a smile.

"He's doing just fine," Olivia said as she handed Matthew to Maureen "He's been a bit fussy today but I think it's because I'm a little late putting him down for his nap."

"And what about you?" Maureen asked as she began rocking her baby brother in her arms.

"You and your father are peas in a pod, you know that?" Olivia told her in a slightly annoyed tone "Why is everyone asking me how I am every two seconds?"

"Because we're all worried about you," Maureen told her as Matthew began to grow impatient and she handed him back to his mother "You aren't haven't been very talkative since you and Dad brought Matt home from the hospital."

"I haven't felt much like talking, what with the lack of sleep and all," Olivia replied sarcastically.

"That's not fair," Maureen said, trying not to get angry with her step mother "Dad does just as much as you do at night. And I've spent more than a few nights here when I could have spent the night at Spencer's apartment."

"I'm sorry," Olivia said, her senses flooding back to her suddenly "You've been a tremendous help. It's just…"

"Spencer says they've got some good leads on him," Maureen offered in a quiet voice.

"I know," Olivia sighed "Any day now, right?"

"Nothing's gonna happen to you," Maureen reassured her "We're all here for you. Dad, me, Spencer, Kathleen, Lizzie, Rick, we've all got your back."

"And who's got yours?" Olivia asked, trying not to burst into tears.

Maureen wrapped her step mom and baby brother in a hug "That's why Spencer's got agents watching the house," she stated, memories of the events of two weeks earlier still fresh in her mind as well.

Maureen found herself in suspicion of everyone she saw when she walked down the street. She called Spencer several times a day just to hear the sound of his voice and his reassuring words. She'd been the one to buy the new rug to replace the one that Officer Adams had died on. She too had found it hard to open up about her fears. The only time that she'd spoken to Spencer about it was when a car backfired outside his apartment and she pulled him to the floor with her, almost breaking into tears.

Part of her wanted to be able to confide in Olivia and have Olivia feel like she could confide in her but she had no idea that Olivia's fears ran far too complex and that the other woman couldn't even find the words to express them even when she desperately wanted to.

The front door opened again and Elliot's familiar voice rang through the house "Liv, Maureen, I'm home," he stowed into the living room and hugged his daughter and wife. He kissed Olivia on the lips and swept his infant son into his arms "And how was your day Matt?" he asked, bouncing the baby gently in his arms "Were you well behaved for your Mommy?"

"Yes he was," Olivia said, standing up "But he's gonna get pretty cranky if he doesn't get a nap soon," she took Matt from Elliot and turned to head upstairs when she locked eyes with Spencer who stood behind Elliot.

"Hey Olivia," Spencer offered meekly, positive that he had startled her.

Olivia looked between Spencer and Elliot and knew by the looks on their faces that something was up "Okay," she began, her grip tightening on her son "Why are you guys here so early? Aren't both of you still supposed to be at work?"

"Spencer showed up at the squad to talk to me and it was kind of slow going there so Cragen let me go early," Elliot explained, clapping Spencer on the back.

"And…?" Olivia pressed anxiously. Both men looked incredibly uncomfortable, sharing a long awkward glance. Olivia began to panic. She stepped backwards until she bumped into the couch where she sank down hard "What is it?" she demanded desperately.

Spencer stepped forward "We found a body today," he said in a solemn tone "It matches Jameson's MO."

Olivia was glad she'd sat down "What was her name?" she asked as her eyes scanned the new rug beneath her feet.

"Eva McKenna," Elliot replied, sitting down on Olivia's other side. He wrapped his arms around her "The call came in while Spencer was at the squad. When Melinda found the initials," he choked back the bile in his throat, remembering that Olivia had been burdened with that same horrible scar "Well, Cragen told me that the best thing I could do for everyone was go home and be with you."

"I'm glad," Olivia whispered, nuzzling into his embrace. She couldn't help the grief and despair she felt in her heart at hearing that JJ had killed another woman. She was glad that Elliot was there with her. She looked up into her husband's eyes and felt the warmth and love in them. She needed him. She was no longer too proud to admit it, not anymore "I'm so scared," she whispered as she looked down at her son who was snuggled in between them.

Maureen and Spencer excused themselves to give Elliot and Olivia some time alone. The two stepped into the kitchen where Maureen leaned against the counter and stared him down "Why were you at the squad when they got the call about the body?" she asked.

"That's not important now," Spencer replied somewhat sadly "It's nothing that you need to worry yourself about."

"You were talking to my Dad," Maureen stated, her hands on her hips "Did it have to do with the case? Did you find another lead? The only reason you'd be talking to Dad about the case is if there were good news. I'm assuming that since another woman has fallen victim to that maniac that you didn't have good news. So what were you talking to him about?" Maureen's eyes flickered with betrayal and anger.

"Now's not a good time," Spencer waved a hand in the direction of the living room where Olivia and Matt lay in Elliot's arms as they talked in hushed tones.

"Damn it Spencer!" Maureen shouted. She was desperate to keep her mind off JJ if she could. She hadn't realized that she's yelled until calls of concern came from the living room.

"Are you two okay in there?" Olivia asked, turning her attention away from Elliot for a moment and wiping her eyes furiously.

"We're fine," Maureen called back before turning back to Spencer, speaking in a quieter voice this time "Tell me, please?" she asked as her eyes clouded with tears.

Spencer took her into his arms "Please don't cry?" he begged quietly. He had been excited but when the body was discovered it had put an end to his enthusiasm and he had decided to save the news for later. "I don't want you to remember this moment when you think of…"

"Think of what?" Maureen asked, still holding tight to him.

"Never mind," he whispered, stroking her hair lovingly.

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Elliot looked out the kitchen window before closing the curtains. The sight of the car parked outside comforted him. Spencer had doubled the detail and had decided to spend the night as well. Olivia had been crying all afternoon, confessing her fears about losing him and the kids and she had fallen asleep around eight.

He'd pulled Spencer aside soon after that. The elder man had imparted a few words of wisdom he hoped had resonated with the young man.

Elliot sighed as he pressed his forehead against the wall. Life was getting far too complicated and far too frightening. Cragen had encouraged him to take a few days off and Elliot had accepted. He was afraid to leave his family alone. He didn't know what JJ would try next.

He turned and walked up the stairs. Maureen nearly ran into him "Spencer proposed," she whispered as loudly as she dared so as not to wake Olivia and the baby.

"Congratulations sweetie," Elliot smiled as he hugged her "He's good for you."

Maureen gave her father a kiss on the cheek "Thank you for giving him your blessing," she had felt like an idiot when she found out that's what Spencer had gone to her father to talk about. She held up her hand and flashed the tasteful engagement ring "Isn't it beautiful?" she asked "I almost wanna wake Liv up and show it to her."

Elliot chuckled "The ring will still be here tomorrow," he draped an arm around his eldest child's shoulders and they walked up the stairs together.

**THE END**

**A/N: The fifth story in this series will be up sometime in the near future. Please let me know what you thought of this final chapter and remember to tell me how evil I am LOL. Please review. Lots of love**

**Elliot and Olivia for eternity**

**Merry Shipper Christmas**

**Proud EO shipper**

**3 Kelly**


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